The road of grief

Grief. Sorrow.  Mourning. Sadness

I am presently listening to a podcast from Sounds True: Insights at the Edge Hosted by Tami Simon with guest Francis Weller: Our Apprenticeship with Sorrow.  I highly, highly recommend this episode.  Here is the link for easy locating. 

Here is one of the points that really resonated and please note this is a paraphrase from Mr. Francis Weller:  When we are in our younger years, we learn to shut down as a way of protecting and continue to use anesthesia to protect. We learn to contain within until we can release into a container.  

So, we hold grief/ sorrow/ mourning in (its contained) and we use a variety of skillful/unskillful behaviors to keep it contained until the universe leads us to a container (a healthy community) that can contain the release/expression of grief.

Beautiful! Absolutely Beautiful!  In my own life, this has a deep resonating in a variety of grief events.  And the thing is, no judgement on the grief event.  If it was a loss, it can be grieved.  It does not all look the same or even feel the same....AND it required (still does require) a container, a community to feel into.  

Community is needed to heal.  Witness to our pain and suffering is needed.  Others meeting us in the messy places in our life and standing with --- how beautiful.  And, the big ask (IMHO - in my humble opinion) is inviting the community in and becoming open and vulnerable.  And yes, I do not say this with a passing awareness or knowledge......I have lived on this edge and in this space as the individual and as a member of the surrounding community.  

What a beautiful way to look at grief in a different way -- a call to come together and join community for whom amongst us has not had grief?